Uttar Pradesh: Resumption of videography and survey work at Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi

Varanasi (UP), May 07: Amid the Gyanvapi mosque management committee's call to oppose a court's decision to get the religious place and the Shringar Gauri premise videographed and surveyed, a court-appointed committee will reach here for a survey in Varanasi on Saturday afternoon.

On Friday, tension gripped Varanasi, as a large crowd of devotees had gathered for Friday prayers. Some youths also raised 'Har Har Mahadev' slogan evoking a reaction from some Muslim youths who too raised some religious slogans but the police promptly drove them away.

The local administration had also deployed a heavy police contingent in the vicinity to maintain the law and order situation. Notably, the Anjuman Intejamiya Masjid, the management of the mosque, had declared that it will oppose the local court's order and not allow 'non-believers' to enter the mosque.

In the Shringar Gauri worship case, the court of Varanasi's Civil Judge (Senior Division) Ravi Kumar Diwakar had on April 26 ordered videography of the Shringar Gauri temple in the Kashi Vishwanath-Gyanvapi mosque complex and other places after Eid and before May 10.

To carry out its order, the court had appointed advocate Ajay Kumar as its commissioner.

But the Gyanvapi mosque's management committee had announced to oppose the court order for the videography and survey inside the mosque's premises, scheduled to be held on May 6 and 7.

"No one will be allowed to enter the mosque," S M Yasin, joint secretary of Anjuman Intezamiya Masajid, had said last week.

Security on the Gyanvapi campus was beefed up in the early morning itself with heavy barricading in the area to regulate the movement of people in view of the court's order for the videography, scheduled for Friday and Saturday.

The court had earlier ordered videography and survey of the religious place on a plea by Delhi-based Rakhi Singh, Laxmi Devi, Sita Sahu and others demanding permission for daily worship and performing rituals at Shringar Gauri, Lord Ganesha, Lord Hanuman and Nandi located on the outer wall of the Gyanvapi mosque.

They had moved the court with their plea on April 18, 2021.

They had also sought to stop the opponents from causing any damage to the idols.